INTERNATIONAL MARITIME BUREAU TO GOVERNMENTS: “RESTRICT ACCESS TO TANKER LANES”

INTERNATIONAL MARITIME BUREAU TO GOVERNMENTS: “RESTRICT ACCESS TO TANKER LANES”

INTERNATIONAL MARITIME BUREAU TO GOVERNMENTS: “RESTRICT ACCESS TO TANKER LANES”

   The International Maritime Bureau of the International Chamber of Commerce has appealed to governments and port authorities to declare approach channels for tankers “no-go” areas for unauthorized craft and to enforce the ban by intensifying naval and police patrols.
   The organization’s appeal came amid mounting evidence that the blast that ripped through a French tanker, the “Limburg,” earlier this month in the Gulf of Aden was a terrorist attack. The “Limburg” is thought to have been rammed by a small boat noticed by crew members shortly before the explosion.
   “All pleasure craft, fishing boats and other vessels should be barred from the lanes tankers and other vulnerable vessels use in approaching terminals,” said Captain Pottengal Mukundan, director of the International Maritime Bureau. “Where possible, we would like to see the ban extended to areas on either side of these channels.”
      The International Maritime Bureau believes that patrols should be intensified and naval and police units should immediately board and investigate any unauthorized vessels caught loitering in the no-go areas. “The responsibility for security of water ways must remain with the governments concerned,” Mukundan said.
   The bureau is also advising ships calling at Middle Eastern, Pakistani and Indonesian ports to take advice from local shipping agents and owners about the degree of risk involved.
   The identity of the attackers of the “Limburg” is still unknown, although intelligence agencies believe that terrorists were involved. The tanker was carrying 400,000 barrels of crude oil when the blast ignited a fire on board, killing one crew member and spilling 90,000 barrels of oil into the sea, the International Maritime Bureau reported.
   On Friday, French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie announced that parts of a small boat and traces of TNT were found inside the tanker.